Nanotubes exhibit electrical, mechanical and other properties that are desirable for a variety of applications. For instance, relative to other electronic materials, nanotubes exhibit ballistic electronic transport, can function as a semiconductor material, can be made entirely of carbon so that they are inert and do not degrade or react with local environments, and can be made from material that is highly abundant. In addition, nanotubes are robust and strong, often exhibiting an elastic modulus of about 1 TPa and a density of about 1.3 g/cm3 (e.g., relative to an elastic modulus of about 0.0012 TPa for steel, and a density of about 9 g/cm3 for copper). These properties of nanotubes are desirable for use with a variety of applications, such as for flexible electronics, electronic paper, clothing or textiles, and robust sensors for weapons, chemical, and biological species detection.
While nanotubes exhibit promising applications, several challenges exist to their implementation. For instance, nanotubes come in several types, each having different electronic structures (chiralities). Nanotube fabrication approaches generally produce a mix of different types of nanotubes. As certain types are not desirable for a variety of applications, the presence of different types of nanotubes can be troublesome. In addition, it is often difficult to form nanotubes in a desirable arrangement.
These and other considerations remain challenging to the manufacture and implementation of nanotubes.